


Honey, You're Familiar (Like My Mirror Years Ago)

by angelskuuipo



Series: From Eden [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, F/M, GFY, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Series, bratva!Oliver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 19:35:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3822271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelskuuipo/pseuds/angelskuuipo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen have met before, they just didn’t know it.  Companion piece to ‘Innocence Died Screaming’.  Felicity’s POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Honey, You're Familiar (Like My Mirror Years Ago)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Innocence Died Screaming](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3767650) by [angelskuuipo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelskuuipo/pseuds/angelskuuipo). 



> Disclaimer: The characters aren’t mine: never have been, never will be. The story, however, is.
> 
> This is a companion piece to ‘Innocence Died Screaming’. This is Felicity’s POV. As with ‘Innocence’, the title was taken from ‘From Eden’ by Hozier. This…might become a ‘verse, but I make no promises for more fics. Big thanks to Elisabeth for the beta.
> 
> Written: April 24, 2015  
> Word Count: 3,716

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Felicity Smoak didn’t much care for Russia. Not that she’d gotten to see much of Moscow, but what she had seen was…cold and it wasn’t just the weather. She could admit that there was beauty in the spires, arches, and colors of the Kremlin and other older buildings, but the history and blood that lay behind them all deadened it for her.

But she wasn’t there for a vacation. She was there to help MIT win the World Collegiate Tech Competition. She thought it was pretty awesome that Queen Consolidated had given her paid leave to act as a consultant when she was invited. There was no way she was going to miss a chance to see the program she’d built from the ground up in action. 

Too bad the interface with what the team had come up with kept glitching. She _would_ find the problem and slyly pass the information onto one of the students since, technically, she shouldn’t be solving the problem for them.

Right after she took a much needed break. She loved coding, but even she could only stare at a computer screen for so long.

Felicity took a sip of her vodka cranberry and grimaced. Yuck. That did not taste right at all. This was supposed to be _the_ Land of Vodka, how could they screw that up? She took one more sip, just to be sure, and then pushed it away. Yeah, no.

Ten minutes later she was practically falling asleep at the bar. When she felt someone urge her to stand, she followed them docilely enough. Bed sounded good. Only…she wasn’t going to her room. Why was she getting into a car?

Felicity frowned. Something hinky was going on, but she was too tired to figure it out. She fell asleep before she could get any further. When she woke up, she was on a bed, but it wasn’t the one in her hotel room.

She sat up, still groggy, and looked around. Oooh, bad idea. Jesus, her head hurt and everything was fuzzy. Where were her glasses? There were five other girls in the room with her and they were all out cold. Some instinct got her off the bed and moving into a corner. She slid down the wall and made herself as small as possible.

This was bad.

Also? Her arms itched like a bitch.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, rubbing at her arms, when the door opened and a tall guy with shaggy blond hair and a beard walked in. He stopped abruptly and looked around the room. Even blurry as he was, she could make out the almost murderous expression on his face.

That…did not bode well.

The guy closed and locked the door and then looked around again. His eyes zeroed in on her for a moment before he briefly turned back to the door. Then he made his way towards her. 

_Notgoodnotgoodnotgood._

Felicity pressed herself as close to the wall as she could, not that it would do her any good.

He tried to look nonthreatening, but that was kind of impossible. He was big and solid and he had the wild hair thing going on and it was dawning on her that she’d actually been drugged and _kidnapped_ and yeah, nothing about this situation was good.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I’m here to help.”

She blinked at him a few times. “You’re American.” Because _that_ was the important thing here. What the hell, self? Why was she having such a hard time focusing? She tuned back in when he nodded at her and she felt a little bit of hope spark to life. “Are you with the CIA or Interpol or something?”

It was his turn to blink at her and he looked at her like she was maybe a little bit crazy. “Uh, no. Why would you think that?”

She sagged against the wall and said glumly, “I thought you might be undercover and were here to rescue us.”

What? It made sense in her head.

He was still looking at her funny, but he said, “Not exactly, but getting you all out of here is the plan. I could use your help.”

“Lis.”

When he just raised an eyebrow at her she said, “My name is Lis.” An introduction felt prudent if he was going to rescue her, but color her cautious, she wasn’t going to give her full name to someone who was probably, but maybe not, involved in her kidnapping.

“Oliver.” He paused for a second; like he was surprised he’d said it and she somehow knew that was his real name. Huh, maybe she could have been more honest. Oh well. “Will you help me?”

He had a really nice voice and pretty eyes; really pretty blue eyes. Or they’d be pretty if they didn’t look so sad. Why was he so sad?

_Focus!_

He’d asked for her help. She’d love to, but… “I’d love to, but I don’t know how much help I’ll be. Whatever that fucknut gave me really knocked me for a loop.”

Oliver gave a rusty laugh and she couldn’t help grinning in response. He sounded like he didn’t laugh near enough. He stopped quickly though and looked over his shoulder at the rest of the room. “Do you know the other girls?”

She honestly didn’t know, not having really taken the time to get a good look at them, but if they’d all been taken in the hotel bar, then chances were good they were also competitors. “Only in passing. We’re all competitors at the Collegiate World Tech Competition Finals. That’s why I’m in Moscow. My team’s project made the short list.”

Oliver turned back to her and looked her over carefully. She figured he was seeing what everyone else did, the typical nerd girl. Okay, so she was wearing a thin pair of leggings and her favorite MIT sweatshirt, but sue her. She’d just gone down for one drink and to rest her eyes. She wasn’t out to impress anyone, not then. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “They’re even stupider than I thought if they decided kidnapping a bunch of brilliant college students was a good idea,” he said mostly to himself, but she heard him well enough.

That brought up an interesting question. “Who, exactly, took us?”

“The Bratva,” he said flatly. She had no idea what that was and it must have shone on her face, because he continued. “The Russian Mafia, but I’m pretty sure this was unsanctioned.”

She couldn’t help it. Her jaw dropped. _Oh my god. I’m in the middle of ‘Taken’. Fuck my life._ Before her thoughts could take verbal shape, Oliver asked her, “What school?”

“Huh?”

“What school are you from?”

“Oh, MIT. Actually I graduated in 2009, but I was invited back to be one of the consultants for the team, because they’re using one of the programs I wrote my Senior year and you don’t really care about any of that, so I’ll just stop now,” she wound down abruptly, but she noticed the hints of a smile playing at the edges of his mouth. It broke her heart a little, because like his laugh, she didn’t think he smiled very much. That thought made her sad, because underneath the long hair and beard he looked like a guy that should smile a lot. 

She could feel herself blushing and forced herself to get back on the subject. “Um, I’m honestly not sure where the others are from. I’ve been a little preoccupied.” She snorted softly and rubbed at her wrists again. _Understatement._ “It figures the one time I decide to take a break, something like this happens.”

Felicity startled when he reached out and took her hands, but he ignored her as he studied her arms. She looked down and realized she’d drawn blood in a couple of places. Oops.

“I think you might be allergic to whatever drug they gave you. Are you having any trouble breathing?”

Great, so roofies ranked just under nuts for her. Awesome. Good to know. She swallowed and shook her head. “No, I’m okay. I didn’t finish my drink. I think that’s why I’m as with it as I am. My head feels a little floaty, and I feel like I’ve had an ice pick shoved through my eye, but it’s not as bad as it was earlier.”

Oliver was caressing the backs over her hands so softly that she figured he didn’t even realize he was doing it. “Good. That’s good.” He gave her a smile that made her heart twist in her chest. “I’m going to make a phone call. With any luck, you and the others will be walking out of here soon, all right?”

She looked at him dubiously. “Why are you doing this?” At his look, she waved her hand to encompass their current situation. “If you’re a part of this, why are you trying to help?”

She had no idea what kind of answer she was hoping for or expecting, but it definitely wasn’t, “I’m not here by choice anymore than you are.”

Felicity studied him, glad that even though her head was pounding it had cleared enough for her to start _thinking_ again. He looked tired, worn down, and resigned. He might not be a prisoner like she was, but he wasn’t free either. He was shaping up to be a puzzle she’d never have the opportunity to solve. She felt inordinately sad at that thought.

She knew the answer, but she had to ask. “You won’t come with us, though, will you?”

He shook his head. “I can’t, but I will make sure you all get back to your hotel safely.”

After a few more moments of memorizing him she said, “I believe you. Go make your phone call.”

Oliver moved back to the door and took his phone out. She got her feet under her and pushed herself up off the floor. He started speaking in Russian and even from across the room she could hear the roar on the other end. She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad, but if things worked out, they’d be safe soon. She should probably try to wake the other girls. It was going to be harder than she thought. They were all pretty out of it.

She gave up and moved towards Oliver when he hung up and pressed the phone to his forehead. He was just standing there with his eyes closed, but there was a measure of peace on his face, so she was hopeful.

He opened his eyes and, while they were still sad, they had lightened a little bit. “There’s a car on its way, as well as a doctor to make sure you’re all alright.”

As much as she hoped it would be that simple, she really hadn’t expected it to actually happen. Her disbelief must have shone on her face, because he did his best to reassure her. “It’s going to be fine, Lis. I need to go take care of a few things, but I’ll come back when the car gets here, okay?”

He was going to go kill the men who’d taken them. Don’t ask her how, but she knew in her soul that’s what he was going to do. Maybe it was the Vegas in her, that deep down part of her that knew just how ugly things could get when the stakes were high enough, but she couldn’t work up much remorse at the thought. Those bastards deserved it.

She didn’t know his story, didn’t know how he’d come to be a part of this mess, or how it all would end, but she was thankful he was there. Her very own knight in tarnished armor. Feeling impulsive, she leaned up and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Then she leaned in and whispered, “Thank you, Oliver. I hope you find your own way out soon.”

He coughed and she stepped back, not wanting to make him anymore uncomfortable. She watched him leave and then she murmured a prayer for his safety. The gunshots, when they came, were muffled but still clearly heard. She was glad now that the other girls weren’t awake. They didn’t need to bear witness to the vigilante justice she’d just condoned.

She met his eyes calmly, gratefully, when he returned with the doctor and he stayed beside her as her arms were tended to and the others were roused and herded into the waiting limo.

She didn’t even realize she was holding his hand until she let go to exit the car. She looked back once, just before she entered the lobby, to see him standing in the open car door. She smiled at him and nodded her thanks.

If it weren’t for the ten thousand dollars that had been waiting for her at the front desk the next morning and the bandages on her wrists, she almost would have thought she’d dreamed it all.

As it was, once she returned home, her dreams were riddled with sad blue eyes and a mouth that had forgotten how to smile.

She never even learned his last name.

~*~

**Two Years Later**

Felicity was in the zone. She was determined to get the new bank of servers online before tomorrow. If she did, she was pretty sure there was a bonus in her future and she had it earmarked for a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps. What? A girl needed to splurge once in a while.

She was so focused on what she was doing that she didn’t hear the knock on her door. She did, however, hear the velvet smooth voice that scared the bejesus out of her.

“Felicity Smoak? Hi. I’m Oliver Queen.”

She squeaked in surprise and spun in her chair. Maybe Delores was right and she needed to reconfigure her office. She got surprised more often than her heart could take.

Felicity studied him. There was something about him that was familiar. Then he said, “Lis?” and she knew.

His hair was cut close to his head and his beard had been trimmed down to…really attractive stubble, but she knew those eyes and that mouth. They were even prettier than she remembered.

“Oliver?”

She was up and moving before she really thought about it. He placed something on her desk, but she paid it no mind. She was ashamed to admit that it took her almost a year after her experience in Moscow to connect the dots and realize that her savior Oliver was actually Oliver Queen. Several times she’d been tempted to approach Moira Queen and tell her, but she always chickened out. Oliver had had his reasons, whatever they may have been, for not going home and it wasn’t her place to out him.

When the news came that he’d been rescued, she was overjoyed, but it never occurred to her that their paths would cross again. What were the chances he’d even remember her?

Pretty good, apparently, if the way he was looking at her was any indication.

Biting her lip, she could really only think of one thing to say. “So, I guess you managed to find a way out, huh?”

Oliver sighed and she could practically see a weight lifting off his shoulders. “Eventually, yeah.”

He opened his arms in an unspoken invitation and she walked into his embrace like she belonged there. Maybe she did, because his arms closed around her and she felt safe like she hadn’t since he held her hands and promised to get her out of a possible hell two years ago. He certainly didn’t seem in any hurry to let her go.

“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” she said into his (really well-defined) chest.

She felt him stiffen almost imperceptibly, but then he relaxed and held her a little tighter.

“Yeah, I think we do.”

They stayed standing there; holding each other for another minute before his embrace loosened and she took a step back. They smiled at each other a little awkwardly and Felicity dropped her gaze and pushed her glasses up reflexively. Her gaze fell onto her desk and she gasped.

“What the hell happened to this poor laptop?” She grabbed it and turned it this way and that before she opened the lid. “Are these _bullet holes_?!”

Felicity looked up, aghast, and saw that Oliver had shut her office door. He was standing near it, chewing on his lower lip.

“I was going to tell you that I spilled a latte on it.” She scoffed and he gave her a fleeting grin. “Yeah, I know.” He sighed ran a hand through his hair. “I asked around about who was the best in the company when it came to tech and every single person said ‘Felicity Smoak’.” 

She preened a little at that, but didn’t say anything.

“Can I trust you, Felicity?”

She set the abused laptop back down on her desk and faced Oliver full on. “I never told anyone about you.” He furrowed his brow at her and she went on. “I figured it out about a year ago, that the Oliver who saved me was actually Oliver Queen. I never told anyone.”

“Why?”

She twisted her fingers together, wondering once again if she’d done the right thing. “Because you told me you couldn’t leave. I figured you must have had your reasons for staying away. It wasn’t my place to get anyone’s hopes up, to possibly put your loved ones in danger. Was that not the right call?”

Oliver closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Felicity bit her lip as tears stung her eyes. When he looked at her again, her breath caught at the expression on his face. He took two steps forward and cupped her face, tilting her head up so he could press a gentle kiss to her lips. He let her go and rested his forehead against hers. “You did the right thing. Thank you, Lis,” he breathed.

No one had called her Lis in two years. She hadn’t been able to handle hearing that nickname after what had happened. But coming from him, it was…reverent. Hearing Oliver say it made her feel cherished, which was ridiculous, but it was what it was.

She sighed shakily as the tension leaked out of her. “Oh, thank god. I came close so many times, but then I’d remember the look on your face when you told me you had to stay. I won’t ask, but if you ever want to talk, I will always listen.”

A shudder wracked his body and then Oliver was hugging her again, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. She just held him, marveling at how easy- how _right_ it felt to do so. Rubbing her hand soothingly up and down his back, she could feel the raised and puckered flesh of scars and her heart ached for all he’d been through.

Physical closeness was another thing she hadn’t really been able to handle in the last two years. She might have gotten out of that room without being molested, but she had been violated. She had been drugged and her will had been subverted and the intent of bodily harm had been pretty clear.

If it hadn’t been for Oliver, there was a really good chance that she would be dead, because she would have killed herself before submitting to whatever those bastards had had in mind.

The collar of her shirt was a little damp when he finally straightened up, but she didn’t comment; she just averted her eyes while he wiped his face. Her gaze fell on the laptop again and she traced the holes fretfully.

“I was hoping you could pull some information off the hard drive. It could save lives,” he said softly, his voice a little raspy still.

The wheels of her mind had been turning since he came in and it all finally clicked into place. She looked up at him, her mouth open in a little ‘o’ of discovery. “You’re him. You’re the vigilante the news has been going on about.”

She could see him debating whether to lie to her or not, but it didn’t last long. Instead, he gave that same rusty chuckle that she still heard in her dreams sometimes. It still broke her heart. “I can’t lie to you. I couldn’t then and I can’t now. What is it about you? Why is this so easy?”

Oh. Well then. It wasn’t just her. That…she didn’t quite know what to do with that.

“I have no idea, but I’m glad it’s not just me.”

“Will you help me?”

“Only if you explain why.”

He flinched, but she wouldn’t back down on this. Killing her kidnappers was one thing, she understood that, but she wanted- _needed_ a bit more to go on now.

“Okay, but not here. It’s a long story.” He looked at his watch and then at the laptop. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you take the afternoon? I really need what’s in that laptop.”

Felicity weighed his request against getting the server bank up and running. She’d been planning to work all night if need be, but… that bonus would be there if it took her the rest of the week, which it wouldn’t. She’d just finish it tomorrow.

Making her decision, she reached for the phone on her desk and dialed an extension. Claiming a migraine, she got the afternoon off. Oliver stood by quietly as she saved her work and shut her office down. When she was ready he escorted her out, staying just behind her and to her right. He was guarding her, she realized.

It occurred to her that her life had just gotten very strange. After the last time her life got weird, that thought didn’t frighten her like she would have expected it to. Oliver had been there that time and had gotten her through. Despite not knowing him at all, she’d trusted him. Until he gave her reason not to, she’d trust him now, too.

It’d worked out well so far.

-30-


End file.
